The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-10-26

con the eve of your marriage, all radiant |
and smiling in your bridal iineryn
"Cousin-Cousin Louisl" stammered |
the young girl, amazed and half alarmed !
at Seabrooke's demeanor.
ooh, you need not be afraid have |
not come to overwhelm you with re-
proaches or tell you all the ill that you
have wrought, my Cousin Grace. have
brought you present from beyond the
seas. Take it, and with it such blessings
from me as you and your kinsfolk richly
deserve
So saying, he turned toward the table,
and brought forward TO the light an
ivory casket that stood there. still half
shrouded in its wrappings. Divested of
these, it showed in the sunset light as a
marvel of artistic beauty In high re-
lief upon the lid was carved the meeting
of Bacchus and Ariadne and the sides
were adorned with a representation of
the bridal procession of the god, wherein
bacchantes and satyrs, nymphs and
fauns, and cupids and panthers, were all
mingled in graceful confusion. The
mountings of the casket were in antique
silver, and on a shield just above the
lock were engraved the intertwined in
itials &C. b., and below these a "V."
surmounted with a ducal coronet the in
sigma of Caesar Borgia, Duke of Valen-
tinois.n 1t was gift worthy to be
offered by an enamored monarch to his
future Queen.
Grace drew near and gazed with breath
less delight at the exquisite workman
ship of the ivory carvings. Meantime
Louis took from his pocketbook an an
tique key in darkened silver. This, too,
was a veritable work of art The tube
was held in the appraised hands of mer-
maid, whose curved fish-tail formed the
handle of the key. This handle on its
outer edge was bordered with small,
scarcely perceptible points, or spines,
which would be apt to wound the hand
of any one trying to open the lock and
not warned to take due precautions. This
key Louis carefully fitted into the lock Of
| the casket.
"Open it-open it, Grace!" he cried
with feverish eagerness. "Within you
will find inclosed a necklace of the
choicest pearls to be found in all Paris.
Open it-open it, and tell me what you
think of my wedding presents"
But without touching the key the girl
glided forward, and, resting her clasped
hands on the lid of the casket, she
looked into the dark, troubled depths
of her cousins eyes with tender serious
ness in her glance that caused him to
turn pale and to look aside.
"Dear Cousin Louis" she said, 'you
have brought me a magnificent gift, but
do not think me exacting or ungrateful
if ! ask you for something more. You
know | am going out to morrow to a
new life, and | want to take with me all
the kindly thoughts and affection of
those who loved me when | was a little
child. You feel bitterly towards us all,
/ know, because | could not love you
better than have done-just as l have
loved my brothers. 1t will cast shadow
on the brightness of my wedding-day
if think you are still displeased with
my parents, and still feel unkindly
towards me. Dear Cousin Louis-my
brother Louis-in memory of our old
pleasant days together, will you not
grant me my request2 Take back youl
lovely casket and your necklace of pearls,
and give me instead your frank brotherly
affection once more"
He fixed his dark, burning eyes on the
soft blue ones raised so pleadingly to his
own.
$50 you will not open the casket
Gracel" he said, hoarsely.
Not till you promise to grant me my
request. All, Louis, have you forgotten
all those days when we were children to
gether, and little cousin Grace used tC
pet you, and watch over you, and keeI
her boisterous brothers from teasing YOU
You were always very dear to me, Louis
be my dear brother once again and al
ways
Still gazing fixedly upon her, he drew
the casket towards him, unlocked it
threw back the lid, and withdrew the
key. He held up his hand with its oper
palm turned towards Grace as he did so
and the astonished girl could see upon i
one or two minute drops of blood caused
by the punctures of the points on tn,
handle of the key.
"Take your casket and your pearls
Grace, and with them my full forgive.
ness. You do not know what gooC
service have done you to-day. hav,
swept from your path a bitter anC
dangerous foe. Did you ever reaC
Victor. Hugo's 'EsmeraldaP There ar
four lines in an old translation of tina
poem which are now ringing in my brain
"'Mine be the tombfand thine be light an
life.
die. ana Fate avehges thee. 'Tis well.
go, oh angel of my life, to learn
If Heav'n is sweetias were thy love. Fare
well.'n
So saying, he took Grace's head i
both his hands, kissed her tenderly o.
the forehead, and departed.
A week later the community was elec
tr.fied by the news of the sudden deaf
of young Louis Seabrook, who succumbe
} to a rapid and mysterious malady fey
days after the marriage of Miss Marsdeu
The disease which proved so specdil
fatal bafiled all the science and conjecture
of the physicians called in to attend him
They agreed that his symptoms closel
) resembled those produced by the bite G
a serpent, and finally decided that tn
: patient had fallen a victim to some acut
and mysterious form of blood-poisoning
e 1t was only Richard Marsden VIII
G learned the truth, and that was after tn
death of Louis Seabrook. Amongst tn
- papers of the deceased was found lette
addressed to his uncle. 1t set forth i
p rambling, incOherent fashion these facts
II brought the casket of Caesar Borgia d
e a present to Grace" he wrote, 'inten6